That's My Bag! (2)

Ivy looked at the baggage tag. It said, "Melanie Moser, 300 Sky Crest Drive, Bozeman, MT 59715." "Well, at least she's a local," Ivy thought. "I can drive to her house and exchange this bag for mine. But would someone accuse me of stealing the bag if I took it from the airport?" So she went to the airline counter and explained the problem. The clerk took the bag. "But what about my bag?" asked Ivy. "She'll bring yours back when she comes to get hers," said the clerk.

Not wanting to wait, Ivy drove to 300 Sky Crest Drive to get her bag. A man answered her knock and said his wife had just left for the airport. He was slightly annoyed with her for not being more careful.

Ivy returned to the airport. Her bag was waiting for her at the airline counter. "Next time," she thought, "if I think someone is taking my bag, I'll say something!"


Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: Word Triplets 教學主題: 外來語的三字組
Why are there so many synonyms in English? Because English has borrowed vocabulary from so many different languages, chief among them, Latin, Anglo-Saxon, and French.

Where these three languages contribute words that are synonyms, the three words may be labeled word triplets.

For example, the verb “ask” has Germanic origins, its French equivalent is “question”, while its corresponding word in Latin, is “interrogate”.

Now maybe you’re asking if they’re synonyms, are there any differences between them? And if so, what are they?

Okay, yes, there are differences, first the obvious, the Germanic words are generally shorter, second the Germanic words tend to be used more often in informal speech and writing.

Okay, let’s break down this word triplet a little more. If I ask you something, I’m simply looking for an answer. If I question you, I’m sitting in judgment over something you said or did.

If I interrogate you, the situation is probably pretty serious where likely in a court room, because of some legal problem.

Right, now here’s another word triplet, rest, remainder and residue, now your ability to know when, where and how to use word triplets correctly only grow through reading and listening.

Language Lab
exchange v.
to give something and receive something in return
- These aboriginals exchanged their wild game for food at the market.
exchange with 跟誰交換
- In our club, parents exchange toys with each other.

counter n.
a piece of furniture with a flat surface that workers and customers stand on opposite sides of when doing business in a store, restaurant, etc.
- Press one to call the hotel counter.
- Please check in excess baggage at counter two.
a long, flat surface on which food is prepared in a kitchen
- The kitchen counter was made of a heat-resistant material. 耐熱材料

slightly adv.
in a very small amount or degree : a little
- Nathan is slightly taller than his older brother.
- I was slightly worried when you were late.
slight adj.
very small in degree or amount
- The patient still has a slight pain in his kidney.

annoy v.
to cause (someone) to feel slightly angry
- It annoys me that my neighbor always plays loud music.
annoyed adj.
- Frank was so annoyed with his wife's nagging.
annoying
- annoying attitude


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That's My Bag! (1)

Should she stop the woman or not?

Ivy stood in airport baggage claim waiting for her bag. It had been a long trip, but she was finally home in Bozeman, Montana. She yawned. She couldn't wait to get home, put her things away and relax.

As carousel 2 started to move, she watched the bags drop onto it. She saw her small green bag. She waited for it to come close so she could grab it. Suddenly a large woman took the bag and hurried off toward the exit!

Shocked, Ivy started after her. Then she stopped and thought, "Many bags look alike. That's probably not mine." She returned to the carousel to wait. Finally she saw another small green bag drop onto the carousel. But it was not her bag!

Immediately she knew what had happened. The woman had taken her bag, and this one must belong to the other woman.

She kicked herself for not challenging the woman when she first grabbed the bag. Now what was she going to do?

Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: State Name Origins 教學主題: 州名的由來

Studying a location’s name is a great way to learn about that location’s history, culture and geography.

So let’s look at some state names from the US, will start with names that originated with the American Indians.

Okay, Indian names account for almost half of all the state names, the name my home state, Connecticut, for example, is an American Indian word which means something like beside the long tidal river.

Next, if you know your American history, you’ll remember France played a big role in shaping the new nation, its influence can be seen in state name like Vermont which in French means green mountain.

Right, now what about English names? Not as many as you might think. One example, New Jersey is named after Jersey Island in the English Channel.

Moving west, we get into state names with Spanish origins like Montana which means mountainous country, very fitting as Montana has the rocky mountains running through it.

That’s right, now some of you might be wondering about the name California, well we don’t know its exact meaning, but we do know this, it was named after an imaginary paradise described in a popular 16th century Spanish novel.

Language Lab
baggage n.
the bags, suitcases, and personal things that a person carries when traveling : luggage
- The airline lost my baggage on my trip back to Taipei.
baggage claim n.
the area in an airport or bus station where you pick up your luggage after traveling
the feelings, beliefs, problems, or past events that can make life difficult for a person or group
- Fiona has a lot of emotional baggage to deal with before getting married.

carousel n.
/ˌkerəˈsɛl/
= merry–go–rounds
a large round platform that turns around in a circle and has seats and figures of animals (such as horses) on which children sit for a ride;
a machine or device with a moving belt or part that carries things around in a circle
- Passengers of Flight 423 can collect your luggage at carousel 5.
- The ground staff delivered the luggage to the carousels by truck.

kick oneself
to blame or criticize yourself for something you have done
- Willy kicked himself for not confronting the guy who bullied him.
- Amanda kicked herself for not apologizing to her mom for her ad attitude.

challenge v.
to say or show that (something) may not be true, correct, or legal
- Some teenagers tend to challenge their parents' values and points of view.
- The governor's statement was greatly challenged by the media.
to test the ability, skill, or strength of (someone or something) : to be difficult enough to be interesting to (someone)
- Our team is being challenged by our long-time opponent.


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A Night Out (2)

Should she call the police or call someone to give her a ride? She decided to call someone. She took out her cellphone only to find that her battery was dead! Now what? Walking home was out of the question. But she could take a cab. She checked her wallet and found that she only had $5 in cash. And to her horror, her credit card was missing! Then she remembered. She’d ordered something on the Internet and left the card by her computer.

Maybe she could find a convenience store. She could plug in her phone there to charge it. She headed back toward the theater and the lights on Pike Street. She saw a convenience store ahead. Then she saw something familiar. Her car! Relief surged through her. She realized she’d parked on Pike Street not Pine Street! Once again humming a tune from the show, she got into her car and headed home.

Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: Synecdoche 提喻法

When a word is used to mean something other than what it usually means, we call that a metaphor. Metaphors are used to suggest a resemblance or similarity.

That’s right. Metaphors are figures of speech that make languages fun and interesting, because they add visual imagery to what’s been communicated.

Now there’re many different kinds of metaphors. One involves using a part of something to describe all of it, so then what might we use as a metaphor for say a credit card?

Well, there’s not much to a credit card that we could breakdown into parts; it’s mostly made of plastic and ink, right?

Bingo, plastic. A great metaphor to use in place of the word credit card, next time you go shopping, don’t forget to bring your plastic.

All right, here’s another one. If I said to you, “Hey nice threads”, I’ll be talking about your clothes, because clothes are made up of thousands of threads. Threads is a metaphor for clothes.

And finally this classic, when we need to help doing something we often say, “Could you please give me a hand?”

Umm, just a hand? No, the hand is a metaphor for the whole person.

Language Lab
out of the question
not possible or allowed
- Asking my father for money was completely out of the question.

horror n.
a very strong feeling of fear, dread, and shock
- There was a look of horror on her face.
horrible adj.
causing horror : very shocking and upsetting
- He suffered a horrible death.

plug in [phrasal verb] [plugs; plugged; plugging]
to connect (something, such as a lamp or television) to an electrical source or to another device by using a plug
- The microphone isn't plugged in.

surge v.
to suddenly increase to an unusually high level;
to move very quickly and suddenly in a particular direction
surge n.
a sudden, large increase

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A Night Out (1)

Remember where you park!

Michelle walked out of the theater humming a tune. She’d just seen a fabulous musical at the beautiful Paramount Theater. If she closed her eyes, she could still see the beautiful costumes and stage sets. It was now after 11 p.m., and she really didn’t like being out late by herself. But no one else had wanted to go to the show, so she had gone alone. She headed down the dark Seattle street toward her car.

She walked to the middle of the block. No car. The parking space was empty. “That’s odd,” she thought. “Am I on the wrong street?” She checked the street signs. No, she was on Pine Street. And she was sure that this was where she’d parked. But she walked up and down Pine Street to be sure. Her car was nowhere to be seen. She began to feel like her stomach was in knots. Someone had stolen her car! What was she going to do?

Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: Parkway and Driveway 用來行車的Parkway，用來停車的Driveway
Parkways and driveways, they both have a connection with automobiles, but if you think people park their cars on parkways and drive their cars on driveways, you’re forgiven.

Actually the opposite is true; people drive on parkways while they park their cars on driveways. Confusing, it’s just another example of crazy English.

Okay, let’s explain this by first looking at the word “way”, years ago a way was simply a footpath or horse path used for travel to get from one place to another.

Now the ways that went through parks, we’re called, you guessed it “parkways”. People will walk or take their horses and carriages on parkways to enjoy the beautiful natural scenery.

Right, later many of these parkways were paved over and made ready for automobiles to travel at high speeds.

Okay, how about driveways? Typically they were short private paths that led from a public road to a private home or building.

Hum, today most American driveways are the paved areas in front of homes where people park their cars, now supposed technically you can drive on a driveway, but it’s so short you’re not going to drive on one for too long.

Language Lab
tune n.
a series of musical notes that produce a pleasing sound when played or sung
- The band is playing our favorite tune.
- The pop song has a very catchy tune.
in a state in which the correct musical sound is not played or sung
- After the singer got nervous, her voice went totally out of tune.

musical n.
having music and songs as a main feature : telling a story with songs
- Paulin's favorite musical is "Cats."
musical adj.
of or relating to music
- Bruno Mars' musical talent showed when he was little.

parking space n.
a place to park your car, truck, etc.
- It took me almost an hour to find a parking space in this area.
parking lot n.
an area outside a building for parking cars, trucks, etc.
- The parking lot charges NT$100 per hour.
parking structure n. 立體停車場

in knot n.
a painful or uncomfortable feeling of tightness in part of your body
- Joey's stomach was in knots when he was speaking on stage.
tie someone in knots 
to cause problems for yourself because you are being too careful, trying too hard, etc.;
to become very upset or worried;
- The thought of traveling alone tied me in knots.

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The Thrill of an Urban Adventure (2)

Some urban adventures offer more than simply heart-racing thrills and excitement. Perhaps you prefer challenging your intellect during the adventure. You may be interested in participating in the Great Urban Race, an organized competition held in many U.S. cities. In this competition, it is impossible to feel gloomy. People race through a city wearing silly costumes and looking for clues to solve puzzles. It's a great way to explore a city.

Interested in soaring through the air? Why not try being an acrobat? The flying trapeze has become an option for the public. In five American cities, you can attend a trapeze school and learn the skills of a flying acrobat.

Now imagine your urban adventure taking you through empty buildings, tunnels and even sewers. You can join the urban spelunkers on one of their trips. This may surprise you, but you can find urban spelunkers in many cities around the world. You will be amazed by the rich history that you discover on one of these expeditions beneath a city.

So go ahead. Follow your sense of adventure and go on one of these thrilling urban adventures.


Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: Urban, Suburban and Rural 都市、郊區與鄉間
urban 都巿的
suburban 都巿外圍郊區
rural, the country 鄉下


Grammar Gym
Some urban adventures offer more than simply heart-racing thrills and excitement.
[Subject] offers more than [something 1] and [something 2].
- The university's internship program offers more than just work and experience in an outside company.
- The hotel's wedding package offers more than just a banquet hall and fancy food.

Language Lab
gloomy adj.
making you feel that things will not improve [= depressing];
sad because you think the situation will not improve [= depressed];
- The kid's gloomy faces told me that they had lost the game.
dark, especially in a way that makes you feel sad:
- Economists are very gloomy about the country's economic prospects.

acrobat n.
someone who entertains people by doing difficult physical actions such as walking on their hands or balancing on a high rope, especially at a circus
- The acrobats in the circus have been professionally trained since they were kids.
- This famous dancer started off as a child acrobat.
- Using a pole for balance, the acrobat walked high above the street on a steel wire.

sewer n.
a pipe or passage under the ground that carries away waste material and used water from houses, factories etc
- The worker can only repair the area's sewer system at night.
- The sewer line might be clogged.

expedition n.
a long and carefully organized journey, especially to a dangerous or unfamiliar place, or the people that make this journey:
- Stewart and his friend plan to go on an expedition to Africa next year.
- Ten members of the expedition are from Germany.


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The Thrill of an Urban Adventure (1)

Unique ways to explore a city
It's one of those days; you're feeling mischievous and want an adventure. However, you have a dilemma; you don't want just any ordinary adventure. Fortunately, there are many creative urban activities you can do in only a few hours.

Are you interested in mysteries? If you live in San Francisco, you can participate in a heated spy game called Jericho San Francisco. You will find yourself exploring San Francisco while trying to fulfill a specific mission.

In this game, everybody you see is a spy, so you must be sneaky. Just bring a NERF gun, a hat and your imagination. It only happens once a month, so check the date!

What if you want to see the city from above? If you live in Sydney, Australia, why not allocate a few hours to checking out the BridgeClimb? You can ascend the Sydney Harbour Bridge and get a bird's-eye view of the city. Or imagine walking on the outside edge of a tower 356 meters above the ground without holding onto anything. You can enjoy this thrill at the EdgeWalk, in Toronto, Canada. It's Toronto's tallest urban adventure!


Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: Bird’s Eye View (鳥瞰)
a bird's eye view 俯視
overhead view 比人頭高一點的高度, 有可能是室內的
eagle eye 很好的眼力
在這裡要注意的是 bird's eye 和 eagle eye 都是要用單數

Grammar Gym
In this game, everybody you see is a spy, so you must be sneaky.
In this [something], everybody/every something you see is a [description], so you must be [adjective].
- In this store, everything you see is expensive and easy to break, so you must be careful.
- In this competition, everyone you see is number one in their school, so you must be prepared.

Language Lab
mischievous adj.
/ˈmɪstʃəvəs/
someone who is mischievous likes to have fun, especially by playing tricks on people or doing things to annoy or embarrass them:
- There's a mischievous look on the little girl's face.
- Even though Jonathan is over 60, he's still a mischievous boy inside.
mischievousness n. [uncountable]
- The boy's mischievousness got him into a lot of trouble.

dilemma n.
a situation in which it is very difficult to decide what to do, because all the choices seem equally good or equally bad:
- He was faced with the dilemma of telling the truth or losing his job.
- The governor is caught in a difficult ethical dilemma.

sneaky adj.
doing things in a secret and often dishonest or unfair way:
- The boy looks kind of sneaky. I bet he's planning on skipping class today.
sneak v.
to go somewhere secretly and quietly in order to avoid being seen or heard
- Laura sneaked off in the middle of the meeting.

allocate v.
to use something for a particular purpose, give something to a particular person etc, especially after an official decision has been made
- We allocated 5 percent of our profit to charity.
- James is in charge of allocating jobs to the members of our team.
allocation n.
the amount or share of something that has been allocated for a particular purpose:
- The allocation of flour and rice was handled by the government during the war.


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Anything but Normal! (1)

How one actor inspires normal people to do crazy things

Actor and Twitter celebrity Misha Collins has a unique sense of humor. Ask anyone who's participated in the annual, week-long scavenger hunt he organizes. Called GISHWHES, or Greatest International Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever Seen, the event involves completing tasks for points. The tasks range from heart-warming - giving hugs - to just plain weird - making clothes out of cheese!

The 15-member teams supply photos or videos to prove they've completed tasks. Teams must provide exactly what's requested to get full points. If the list calls for a photo with a real Oscar-winning actor, the team must somehow find one. And the actor must be holding the Oscar!


Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: The Other Definition of Or


Language Lab
sense of humor n.
She has a great sense of humor. [=she says funny things and can see the funny side of things]
- Irene's sense of humor made her very popular at school.
sense of direction
His excellent sense of direction [=ability to find his way around easily in a new place] was useful during our travels.
- Patrick lacks a sense of direction, so he gets lost a lot.

weird adj.
unusual or strange
- Hank's weird behavior caught everyone's attention.
- The weird family next door never talks to the neighbors.















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Adventures for a Cause (3)

The Ice Run
Those willing to brave frigid temperatures can try the Ice Run, driving old Ural motorcycles across Siberia in February. Usually rusty, with a design that has remained unchanged since before 1939, these vehicles are sure to break down at some point. But to the Adventurists, that's part of of the excitement. So is the weather, often with temperatures around -30 degrees Celsius, sometimes colder, with 40 mile-per-hour winds.

The Mototaxi Junket
Continuing the trend of traversing the world's wildest terrain in the world's least reliable vehicles, the Adventurists present the Mototaxi Junket.

Peru's mototaxis resemble 125cc scooters with a wide seat on the back and minimal steering and brakes. Riders take them across Peru, traversing mountains so high that the mototaxis' motors sometimes struggle to start, then plunging into the Amazon rain forest basin. So there you have it - six of the craziest journeys ever. Do you have a taste for adventure, a disregard for comfort safety and a desire to help rain forests?

Then join the Adventurists in their quest to make the world a better - and more exciting - place.

Info Cloud

I never thought we'd ever see both metric and U.S. customary unit measurements mentioned in the same sentence.

That is a rare occurrence indeed.

It reminds me of Americans, who more and more, are living and working among both systems of measurements.

Right.  Even though the United States is one of three countries in the world that hasn't made the metric system mandatory.  The other two countries being Liberia and Myanmar.

There is evidence that metrication in the U.S. is happening, albeit very slowly.

One statistic tells us thirty percent of products in the U.S. are now manufactured using the metric system.

Most of these products display both U.S. customary units and metric units, like on a car speedometer and the information on the food product labels.

My water bottle has both measurements, as does my ruler.

Other American products are manufactured in metric units only.

There are fewer examples of this, but they do exist, like the two liter soda bottle and medicines from the pharmaceutical industry.

Okay, American opposition to enforce metrication is strong.

So, using both systems at the same time, like we just saw in today's lesson, will likely continue for some time.


Grammar Gym
So there you have it - six of the craziest journeys ever you could possibly take.
So there you have it = That's it.
- There you have it, ladies and gentlemen, the Mona Lisa.

Language Lab
frigid adj. 寒冷的, 極冷的
/ˈfrɪʤəd/
very cold [= icy]
- The actors had to jump into the frigid water for the scene.
為了這場戲,  這些演員必需跳進寒冷的水中
frigid adj. 冷淡的, 不友善的
not friendly or kind [= cold, icy, frosty]
- The funny stories the chairperson told changed the frigid atmosphere of the meeting.
主席好玩的故事改變了這個會議冷冰冰的氣氛

traverse v. 橫越, 通過 [tra字首-穿越/ verse 字根-轉彎]
/trəˈvɚs/
to move across (an area)
to move across, over, or through something, especially an area of land or water
- We traversed the desert by jeep.
我們開吉普車穿越沙漠
- The tour guide told us to traverse the suspension bridge with care.
導遊跟我們說穿越吊橋的時候要小心

minimal adj. [mini字根-小/極少的, 極有限的 ]
very small or slight in size or amount
- Tom's minimal income can't support his family.
Tom 有限的薪水沒有辦法養家
- Only minimal damage was caused by the hurricane.
maximal 最大的最多的
greatest or highest possible
- We made the maximal use of our free time in Rome and visited many sites.

disregard n.忽視, 不再乎, 不管 [dis 否定/ regard 留意, 注意 ]
the act of ignoring something or treating something as unimportant [noncount]
- The disregard Ben had for his parents' advice was obvious.
disregard v.
to ignore (something) or treat (something) as unimportant
- The boy completely disregards other people's feelings.


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Adventures for a Cause (2)

What if you want to experience an adventure for a cause, but horses aren't your thing? Never fear; there are others to choose from  - after raising that 1000 pounds.

The Mongol Rally
What's more exciting than a 16,000-kilometer road trip across mountains, deserts and other rugged terrain? Doing it in a vehicle with an engine smaller than 1.2 liters! Mongol Rally participants follow another "un-route" that consists of a starting point in the U.K., a finish line in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, and nothing in between. After all, it's an adventure, not a guided tour.

The Rickshaw Run
When asked how to travel across India, almost no one would say, "drive a rickshaw." These three-wheeled, 145.45cc vehicles were built for short trips on roads, not a 3,000- to 5,000-kilometer journey.

Attempting this journey sounds utterly crazy - but it can be great fun. Just watch out for cows in the road.

The Bajai Rally
Even more impractical than India's rickshaw is Indonesia's Bajai, or tuk-tuk. These motorized rickshaws are loud, poorly designed and prone to breaking down.

But that didn't stop adventure-seekers from taking them through jungles and over mountains, finding their own routes across Indonesia. Although discontinued, this adventure lives on in people's memories.

Info Cloud

In today's lesson, our author mentions vehicles that were built for short trips on roads.

But then, two sentences later, she warns, "Watch out for cows in the road".

"On roads" and "in the road" - does this mean "on" and "in" are interchangeable?  Not exactly.

If you remember, we touched on prepositions a bit last week, but because they're so difficult for ESL students, we thought they deserved another look.

Now, in order to really master them, you need to be aware of three pitfalls.

The first is choosing the wrong preposition.

This problem often surfaces because students translate prepositions directly from there native language.

For example, Germans will say, "Aspirin is good against headaches".  But to use the same preposition translated into English would be a mistake because idiomatic English says, "Aspirin is good for headaches".

Right! The second pitfall is adding a preposition where one isn't needed. "They went to outside" is a good example. Here the preposition "to" is not needed.

And then, there is an opposite problem.

Not using a preposition when one is needed. As in, "I like listening music".

Here we do need that preposition- to.

So, how do we avoid these pitfuls and master prepositions?

Sorry, no shortcuts.

Just good old-fashioned memorization.

介系詞很短但不能小看它
通常有三大錯誤: 用錯, 隨便亂加, 忘記用!


Language Lab
rally n. 本文指 汽車競賽會
a car race that is usually held on public roads
- The best frivers from around the world went to the New Zealand Motor Rally.
全世界的好手都來參加紐西蘭的摩托車公路賽
rally n. 群眾的大會或聚會
a large public meeting, especially one that is held outdoors to support a political idea, protest etc
- This rally was organized to help raise money for the victims of the earthquake.
這個大會的招聚是為了要募款幫助地震的災民

rugged adj. 高低不平的, 崎嶇
/ˈrʌgəd/
land that is rugged is rough and uneven
- This rugged area is only accessible by four-wheel-drives.
這個地勢高低不平的區域只有四輪驅動車子可以到達
- The rugged yet beautiful coastline attracts many visitors each year.
這個崎嶇又美麗的海岸線, 每年都吸引了許多觀光客

impractical adj. 不切實際的, 不合用的 [im否定字首/ practical 實際的]
not practical: such as a : not easy to do or use : not suitable for the situation
- It's impractical to spend a lot of money buying lotto tickets.
花一堆錢買樂透彩是不切實際的
practical adj. 實際的
- Sandra is very practical. She knows what a good deal is.
Sandra是非常務實的女孩, 她知道什麼是合理的買賣

prone adj. 容易如何如何的 [後面可接不定詞+動詞]
/ˈproʊn/
 likely to do, have, or suffer from something — usually + to
- He's prone to get angry whenever he's under pressure.
他一有壓力就容易發脾氣
prone to(介系詞)+ N/V-ing
- Arnold is prone to making hasty decisions.
Arnold 很容易做出輕率的決定


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Adventures for a Cause (1)

These trips are exciting and charitable but not for the faint of heart
by Elizabeth Sunshine

This Saturday, on the windswept plains of Mongolia, 35 riders will line up and then explode into action, galloping over the steppe. This is the beginning of the world’s longest horse race, the Mongol Derby. Participants spend 10 days traveling its nearly 1,000-kilometer-long route – or rather, “un-route.” They choose their own path across the vast Mongolian wilderness, occasionally checking in at rest stations to change horses. Riders may choose to sleep in tents at these stations, enjoying the local hospitality. Or they may prefer to sleep in the open under a night sky sprinkled with stars.

These riders are following in the hoofprints of Genghis Khan and his ancient Mongolian warriors. Like those warriors, they have a mission. But instead of conquering the world, their goal is to save it. The Mongol Derby is one of several events organized by the Adventurists, a team of courageous, eccentric adventure-lovers. The adventures are for fun, but a noble purpose can make any experience more exciting. So participants must raise at least 1,000 pounds for charity to enter. At least half of this goes toward rain forest conservation, “so future generations have somewhere to get stuck.”

Info Cloud
This month let's talk about the origin of the Englsih names for the days of the week.

Okey, once again, we'll need to visit ancient Rome which name the days after heavenly bodies.

Okey, the first two day names honor Sol (the sun) and Luna (the moon), creating the model for our Sunday and Monday.

Right! Ancient Rome's third day was named for the planet Mars.

And, the succeeding days, in order, were Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn.

Some of these Roman names are still reflected in the Latin-based romance languages.

For example, instead of Mars, the French say Mardi.

But, in English, because of its Germanic influence, the Roman god names were replaced by Norse god equivalence.

So Mars, remember, the Roman god of war, was replaced by the Norse goddess of war - Tiu. That's where we got "Tuesday".

The Norse god, Woden, gives us Wednesday.

And, Thursday comes from Thor, god of Thunder.

Venuse Roman god of love was replaced by the Norse god of love named Frigg, giving us the word- Friday.

The lone Roman survivor is Saturn, who is memorialized in the English word, Saturday.


星期的名稱是要追溯到古羅馬, 北歐神化, 天體行星的名稱,
Sunday: Sol 太陽,
Monday: Luna 月亮,
Tuesday: Mars 原羅馬神化裡的戰神, 後被北歐的戰神取代 Tiu
Wednesday: Woden 北歐諸神之父
Thursday: Thor 北歐神化的雷神
Friday: Frigg 紀念愛神
Saturday: Saturn 是唯一還保有羅馬神化的名字, 農業之神也是行星中的土星

Language Lab
the faint of heart 膽小的人
- Bungee jumping is not for the faint of heart.
高空彈跳不適合膽小的人
faint-hearted adj. 膽小的；怯懦
not trying very hard, because you do not want to do something, or you are not confident that you can succeed
- There's no time to be faint-hearted when you are at war.
打戰的時候, 可沒有時間可以膽怯

windswept adj. 迎風的 [wind風/ swept-sweep 席捲 v. 的過去分詞]
/ˈwɪndˌswɛpt/
a place that is windswept is often windy because there are not many trees or buildings to protect it
- It's difficult to shoot a video on such a windswept hill.
要在這個迎風的山坡上錄影是困難的
- You can find goats on this treeless, windswept field.
你可以在這片荒蕪樹又被風吹掃的平原上看得到山羊

eccentric adj. 古怪的, 怪異的
/ɪkˈsɛntrɪk/ [第一個c發: k/ 第二個c發:s 音]
behaving in a way that is unusual and different from most people
- The eccentric old man lives with a bunch of reptiles.
這個古怪的老人跟一大堆爬蟲類住在一起
- The woman's eccentric behavior attracted a lot of attention.
這個女人的奇怪行為引起了大家的注意

conservation n. [noncount] 保護, 節約
the protection of natural things such as animals, plants, forests etc, to prevent them being spoiled or destroyed
- The company is saving over $10,000 each month by its energy and water conservation efforts.
這個公司省電和省水的努力, 讓他們每個月省下超過一萬美元的支出
- The wildlife conservation proposal was passed in Congress.
這項保預野生動物的提案, 在國會通過了

 hoof  n.
/ˈhʊf/
the hard covering on the foot of an animal (such as a horse or pig)


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